The Way We Get By
by Mary Rachel
Summary: This is the story of the strange events leading up to Percy's disaperance,and beyond that, too. Does include Percabeth, Tratie, and other characters.
1. Prologue

**Background info: This story takes place a few weeks before Percy disappears. It has a lot of characters from the series (PJO and HoO), and some characters and character relationships from other fantastic writers from .(Used with permission) The time periods are skewed in regard to their relationships, but go with it. So, credit for Anne Soleil and her relationship with Leo Valdez goes to Diamondsgirl101 (read The Fire and The Sun, and The New Spark). I will add other characters citations as they come up. **

**This is my first fanfic. I'm known in my class for being a great writer, but I'm kinda nervous about this. I really want to do Rick Riordan and the characters justice. So please review my story. If it sucks, I will stop writing until whatever bad-writer demon that will hypothetically possess me is banished. Lolz. **

**I will stop talking soon. Just to make sure: ALL credit to Rick Riordan for his fantastic work. Credit to all the writers I borrow ideas/characters from. I do own any characters that come from the nuclear wasteland that is my brain.**

**Drumroll, please. *plays a drum roll with fingerdrums app*. Here it is: **

**Chapter 1**

_**Percy**_

You'd think that after surviving four years of mythological torture, bloody wars, terrifying prophecies, and general anguish, I'd get a break, right?

WRONG!

I guess the Fates (ghoulish grandmothers who wield the knitting needles of death) have a sick sense of humor, or something. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine being dumped, sans memories, into...Well, I better get into that later. Let me start back where things were actually sane...

It all started a few weeks before the winter solstice. I had just gone on holiday break. Three weeks of Camp Half-Blood, friends, and my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. The idea that I was dating my best friend, the girl who had probably save my sorry butt more times than I cared to count, who had beaten me in Capture-The-Flag in many humiliating and painful ways, was still surreal, even after three months. And yes, it was amazing.

Annabeth had called me the day before Goode High School got out to plan for our break together. I'd had suggested that she come over to my mom and Paul's apartment for Christmas dinner (No, it wasn't my mother's idea. I actually came up with it.) She agreed, and arranged to meet me at camp on **Tuesday**. I was really excited. Even though she was going to an all girls boarding school in New York City, we didn't get to see each other a lot. If she wasn't sleeping or in school, she was on Olympus, living her dream of being an architect. After the Second Titan War, Olympus was totally destroyed. As a reward for her bravery and cunning in battle, Annabeth was made the official architect of Olympus. Though I had no interest in load bearing joints or braces, I had to admit, her designs were amazing. The buildings that were popping up every day totally surpassed anything I had seen before. The only downside to this was that our time together was limited, which I was super-pysched for winter break. Annabeth was getting a few weeks off, which meant I had her undivided attention.


	2. My Mom Sees the Future

**Hello, peoplelodians! Thanks for the reviews, they made my day! First of all, I have to apologize for a time-line error in the first chapter. I said Saturday instead of Tuesday. Therefore, Percy arrives at camp before Annabeth. Keep that in mind when you read the first chapter. Also,a forewarning: I'm going to be really busy from now until June, so my updates may not be consistent. Sorry, but life goes on. I know the last chapter was really short, so I'm going to try my best to make them longer. If you have ideas, requests, complaints, or really want someone to get hit with a pie in the story, let me know. (That might happen anyway. Heehee, I'm evil!)**

**Now, without further ado, Chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2**

_**Percy**_

That Sunday, I packed my camp trunk and drove out to Half-Blood Hill in my stepfather's hoof-dented blue Prius (long story). My mom came with me to drive the car back (and because I still had my permit). She seemed really jumpy and nervous, like I was a bomb on a timer. I really had no idea why she was acting so strangely, staring at me like it would be the last time she ever saw me.

I rounded the last bend on Farm Hill Road, and Half-Blood Hill came into site. To mortal eyes, it was just one of the many hills on Long Island, but I knew it cloaked the only safe haven for demigods: Camp Half-Blood. I was a little nervous myself. Even in the middle of winter, it was going to be strange. New campers, new cabins. I wasn't sure what would be waiting for me over the property line.

I stopped in front of the hill, and killed the engine. My mom turned to me with a shaky smile.

"Do you have everything you need, dear?"she asked.

I rolled my eyes a little. She had triple checked my trunk before I left the apartment, and rechecked it twice when we stopped for gas. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom to death, but she can be such a _mom_ sometimes.

"Yeah, Mom. I have everything." I replied.

"Don't forget, Paul is going to pick you and Annabeth up on Christmas Eve-"

"Got it, Mom."

She looked at me again, and I swear her eyes were shiny for a second.

"Mom, what's the matter?" I asked. She sighed.

"Percy, every time I drop you here, something happens. A quest, or a battle, or someone goes missing-"

I looked at her. My mom could see through the Mist, sometimes better than I could. Did she see something disastrous. I put the thought aside immediately. My mom was a mortal. Not like my friend Rachel, the Oracle. She couldn't see the future. Besides, the Titans were gone. The threat was over.

"Mom, I'll be fine. It's just a week at Camp Half-Blood. What could go wrong."

Mom's turn to roll her eyes.

"Don't get me started..."

"Bye, Mom."

"Bye, sweetheart."

She kissed me on the forehead, and got into the car. I started the hike up the hill. As I reached the peak, I turned around. My mom had started the engine, but was still parked. I waved, and she waved back. I crested the peak, and she was gone.

It was freezing cold outside. I was dressed in a sweater and a winter parka, but the second I stepped over the magical boundary that sealed the camp from monsters and weather, I began sweating. I shrugged out of my jacked and walked towards the Big House, stopping to greet Pelus, who had gone through another growth spurt.

"Dang, Pelus. You're going to be bigger than the tree soon. What are you going to do then?" I laughed.

Pelus snorted, and spewed a little smoke, which I figured was Dragon for "Shut up!" I scratched his head, and kept walking. As I went, I kept a lookout for my old friends from the summer before. It didn't take long. Before I knew it, I was being attacked by hooves and horns. My best buddy (who happens to be a satyr), Grover Underwood, hugged me and bleated "Perrrrcy! We missed you!"

"Missed you too, man. How's Juniper?"

Grover chuckled. "She's fine. Well, as fine as she can be during the winter."

Dryads, spirits of plants, were tied to their trees. They were their life sources, and reflected the health of their tree. Right now, I guess Juniper was a little on the cranky side. Just a tip: Don't bug dryads in bad moods. You will find yourself trapped under tree roots for three days. (Yes, I speak from experience.)

"Is Annabeth-"

"No, she isn't here yet."

I sighed. Annabeth wasn't due to come to camp until Tuesday, but I'd held out a little hope that she would show up early. I'd had a surprise for her, and I was really excited about it.

"Dude. You have three weeks with her. I think you can hold out two more days." Grover chided.

"I know, man. It's just that I don't get to see her a lot, with her always being on Olympus and stuff." I whined (just a little!)

"Whatever, man. Come on! You have got to see the new cabins!" Grover tugged me towards the cabins. I stumbled, and ran after him.

"Whoa!" I breathed.

Grover laughed. "I know! The campers just keep rolling in!"

Last summer, there had been eleven cabins, for the twelve Olympian gods (minus Hades). The campers stayed in the cabin of their godly parent, if they were claimed. Undetermined campers had stayed in the Hermes cabin, which had always been crowded, until the end of the summer. After the second Titan War, I had received a wish from the gods. They had wanted to make me a god, but I had turned down the offer. Instead, I had made a deal with the gods: They had to claim all of their demigod children by the time they turned thirteen. That included the minor gods. The minor gods (and Hades) had received a general amnesty, and cabins at Camp Half-Blood, so now the Hermes cabin was way less crowded, which I'm sure really broke the Hermes kids' twisted hearts.

Instead of a inverted **U**, the layout of the cabins was rapidly turning into an Omega:**Ω. **I saw some really awesome new cabins. The Iris cabin, for instance, was painted with a shimmery rainbow of colors, like the cabin was covered in holographic paper. A really beefy guy with a rainbow tattoo was standing on the steps, talking to a white pegasus.

"That's Butch. Senior counselor for the Iris cabin."Grover said. I almost choked. Never in my wildest dreams would I place him as a rainbow child. Grover shook his head and quickly pulled me towards the Poseidon cabin.

We reached the gray, seashell encrusted door of my cabin, and I pushed it open. The cabin was clean, and the beds were made. My eyes automatically jumped to the big bed in the corner, where my brother, Tyson would sleep. I felt a twinge of sadness. Tyson was a general in the Olympian army, and was really busy now. He and I Iris-messaged a lot, but it wasn't the same without the big guy's bone-crushing hugs. I tossed my trunk on my bed, winced when I heard a sharp _CRACK_, and closed the door.

"Come on, man. Lets go." I raced down towards the amphitheater.


	3. Of Bad Dreams and Boyfriends

**Sorry that this took awhile to upload. Please read and review, as that is the only way I'll know what I need to work on in the story. P.S. My word processor is acting up, so this may cause further delays. :( P.P.S Credit for the version of Tratie in this story goes to .princess (Read The Captain and the Empress. Do it! Seriously!)**

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Annabeth**_

_It was a strange dream. I was standing on something narrow and slippery. Looking around, all I saw was thick mist, obscuring everything but what I was standing on. The edge of the cliff was treacherous. I looked up and saw a figure standing next to me. He had a dopey smile and sea green eyes. I relaxed. Percy was there. He would always be there for me; nothing could go wrong. Suddenly, his smirk vanished. As the edge of the cliff started to crumble, he turned to me, his eyes full of terror. I reached out to grab his hand, but I was too late. He fell off the edge, as I screamed..._

I woke up tangled in my blankets, breathing hard. My eyes wheeled frantically as I took in my surroundings, lit by the early morning sun. White-washed walls. Standard issue furniture. Messy desk. I looked at my alarm clock. Bright lights told me it was Monday. I was in my ugly dorm room at my boarding school in New York. My roommate Elizabeth snored in the bed across the room. Even so, I was spooked. The dream had been so real...

"_Enough"_. I mentally shook myself. Now was not the time to lose it. It was just a dream, I told myself.

Right, my pessimistic side said. It's always just a dream.

"Shut up!"

Elizabeth woke with a start. "Wh-what?"

I blushed. I had been talking out loud to my self. Really sane behavior.

"It's nothing, Liz. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

"S'ok. It's almost seven. My folks are coming to get me at nine." She yawned, and stretched, then looked at me reproachfully.

"Bad dreams?"

I rolled my eyes. Did I mention that Elizabeth's dream is to become a psychiatrist? She means well, but try having someone pick your brain every time you express emotion. It gets old fast, believe me.

I sighed. "No. Well, yeah. Nothing bad. Just your average finals nightmares."

Elizabeth jumped down from her raised bed and padded over to her dresser. As she packed her shower caddy, she gave me a typical Annabeth-you-really-need-to-stop-stressing-you-are-going-to-experiance-old-age-prematurley speech.

I cut her off. "Liz, its cool. I'm fine. Totally psyched for break." I tried for a smile, and she relaxed a little.

"Okay. I'm glad you're all right." I smiled for real this time. She grabbed a towel and headed down the hall to the third floor communal showers. I sat down at my desk and grabbed my pencil and protractor. Best stress reliever: architecture. This one blueprint wasn't quite right...

Three hours later, I was packed and in a taxi towards Long Island. As the taxi man creeped through a traffic jam on East 15th, I thought about my plans. Camp Half-Blood. I hadn't been there since the end of the summer, where we had defeated the Titans in a battle for Western Civilization. Though I kept in touch via Iris-Messaging, it wasn't the same as being there.

And then there was Percy. Even though we were in the same city all semester, we hardly got to see each other. I was so busy rebuilding Olympus that it felt like I was dating my draft paper. Bad analogy, but it was the truth. Winter break would change that. We were going to have three whole weeks, and Christmas together. It was going to be awesome. I could hardly wait! Of course, this stupid taxi wasn't helping. I settled into my seat for a long wait.

Finally, the taxi guy pulled in front of Half-Blood Hill. He looked perplexed that I wanted to get out in the middle of nowhere, but he didn't argue the fifty dollars I waved in his greasy face. He did a U turn and peeled out of there, and I hiked up the hill. As I crossed the boundary, I could feel my stress and worry melt away. Pelus the guard dragon roared a hello, and I patted his head as I passed him. I looked down into the valley. As always, it looked like winter could never touch this camp. Everybody was out and about. The Demeter and Hecate cabins were working together to cause the Ares cabin to sprout indestructible weeds in the barbed wire. Some Hermes kids were swordfighting the Apollo kids, and getting their mixed-ethics butts handed to them. I laughed as Connor Stoll went in with a wild strike to the head, and got slammed by his opponent's blade. He might be subtle in rigging card games, but he had the fighting style of a clumsy Cyclops. I shook my head and moved on.

As I walked, the cabins came into view. Unlike last summer, the **U **that had been the original layout of the cabins had been replaced by an Omega. I felt a surge of pride. That arrangement had been my idea. (O for Olympus) The new cabins were finally finished and looked great. My personal favorite was the Hestia cabin. It was a simple looking cabin, made of logs, and crowned with a thatched roof. On the inside, there was a huge hearth, with warm red flames that always flickered. The whole cabin was warm and inviting, and very symbolic. Whenever I went in there, I felt filled with hope, like the whole cabin was Pandora's jar, with Elpis, the spirit of Hope, fluttering around in there.

I finally reached Cabin Eight: Athena. I pushed the door open and was greeted by my half-siblings. Malcolm, my oldest brother, came up and gave me a hug. I smiled and waved hi to my sisters and brothers. Everybody was really busy. Asheline and Nicky were arguing about the best strategy for Capture the Flag, Joshua was quietly writing in the corner, and Maddie was cleaning her armor. The whole cabin seemed to glow. I realized I'd been away for too long. I didn't know how much I missed this place until I came back.

I tossed my bag on the bed, and grabbed my laptop satchel (I hardly went anywhere without it), and went to find Chiron. I had some new designs for him to send to Olympus for approval. I ducked out of my cabin and headed for the Big House. As I walked, I heard a lot of noise coming from the amphitheater. I turned towards it. It sounded like cheering. Curious, I ran over.

There was a small knot of campers at one side of the area. I couldn't really tell who was in the middle until the crowd thinned and I could make out an unruly mop of black hair. My chest tightened, and my pulse quickened. There he was.

**Cliff-hanger! Stay tuned!**


	4. I Almost Decapitate My Girlfriend

**I may be the worst person ever. :( Jk, but I'm sorry for my laziness on this chapter. I have been having writers block, so this chapter sucks. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed, and special shout outs to those who are following my story. So, just to clarify, credit for the circumstances of Nico diAngelo's disappearance, and Tratie in this story go to .princess. Chapter Four, ladies and gentlemen! **

**Chapter Four**

_**Percy**_

The sounds of clanging swords and cheering campers drifted towards me as Grover and I raced to the amphitheater. As I ran, I could feel my arm tingle, as if it was dying to wield Riptide again. I picked up my pace, eager to see my friends. It had been months since I'd seen them. I'd kept in touch, but Iris-messages just aren't the same...

I ground to a halt outside the Big House. Chiron was on the porch, but he wasn't facing me. He was looking at the corner of the house, and he was talking quietly, but angrily. Grover skidded and fell on the ground next to me. The crash startled Chiron, and he made a slashing motion. Before I could blink, he was cantering up to me. Yes, I said cantering. Chiron is a centaur. He's a full grown man with a shaggy brown beard from the waist up, and a massive horse from the waist down. He often compacts his lower half into a magical wheelchair, like when he posed as my Latin teacher in the sixth grade, but that's a long story. At any rate, Chiron's wise brown eyes looked troubled, but he gave me a wide smile.

"Percy! It is indeed good to see you, my boy. When did you arrive?"

"Umm, ten minutes ago. Who were you-" Chiron cut me off, which wasn't like him.

"Nothing of concern, Percy."

"Un-huh."

Chiron looked at me, and I saw the thousands of years of grief, knowledge, and worry in one flash. The old centaur gave me a grudging look, and I backed off. Chiron always had a reason for things. I'd learned not to question him. Chiron seemed to sense my surrender, and smiled at me again. I wondered if I should tell him about the strange way my mother was acting. It must've shown on my face, because Chiron looked at me quizzically.

"Is something bothering you, Percy?"

"Umm...no. Nothing's wrong." I lied. Apparently, I sucked at lying, because Chiron gave me a Look. I knew that look. I made a quick exit, Grover in tow.

We walked at a more reasonable pace towards the amphitheater, which would've been a great chance for my emotional best friend to grill me. Thankfully, he didn't press the issue. Instead, he talked about the recent events that happened while I was away at school. Things had been fairly low-key, from what he told me. New campers were still flowing in, though not in the numbers that they had been coming in after the Battle of Manhattan. Maron and Silenus, Grover's fellow Lords of The Wild, had been on vacation in a remote location. It was unknown when they were coming back, which was fine by a lot of people. However, the most recent development that concerned me was, once again, about my friend, Nico diAngelo, the son of Hades. Apparently, he had come back around mid-October to avoid Persephone's horrible spring-to-winter mood swings. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to inform the new campers of some cardinal camp rules. Rule number one: NEVER mess with Nico's statue of Hades. Not too many people know why its so important, but it's a rule nobody breaks. Thanks to the ever-intelligent Hermes cabin, and their Prank of the Day, Nico had run away, and was staying at various places all over. Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner had gone after him to try to talk him back into coming to camp, but they hadn't been very successful. Strangely, the only positive thing that had come out of that was that Travis and Katie were now going out together. I shook my head. Those two were about the same as explosives were to bulb seeds. Ah, well. I really don't question these things. I made a mental note to IM Nico later.

We finally made it to the amphitheater. Grover and I walked through the entrance tunnel, and into the wide open area. The amphitheater was like a smaller, less destroyed version of the Colosseum. Hundreds of marble seats (which actually are a lot more comfortable than they sound) swooped to the sky, surrounding a great stone hearth that served as our evening campfire. The magic flames could sense the crowds' mood, and changed in color and heat. Right now, they looked like regular old flames. I looked around, and spotted a lot of my friends. Pollux from the Dionysus cabin was going spear on sword with George Thomas from the Morpheus cabin, and let me tell you, it was one of the more interesting fights that I have seen. Whenever Pollux swung his spear, vines blasted out of the ground, trying to entangle George. Meanwhile, George kept disappearing and reappearing at different spots. His dad being the god of doorways and such, I guess he could open doors in thin air. Pollux threw his spear, and George vanished just as the spear passed right where he had been, nearly taking me out. Pollux swore rudely in Greek, and went to retrieve his spear. When he looked up, his face broke out in a huge smile.

"Percy!"

People looked up, and my name echoed around the arena.

"Percy!" "What's up?" "We've missed you!"

People swarmed me and Grover, high-fiving us, and patting us on the back. I shook hands with a ton of people I'd hadn't seen in months: Jake Mason from Hephaestus, Connor Stoll from Hermes, Katie from Demeter, and on and on. Even though I knew it was pretty much a false hope, I kept looking for curly blonde hair and piercing gray eyes that could pretty much read me like a comic book. No such luck. I tried not to show my disappointment, as the crowd dispersed, people going on to their next activities. Grover said he'd catch up later, he had to go see Juniper, and make sure she didn't get into a girl fight (nymph fight?) with any other trees. I relaxed as he trotted out of the arena. I decided to practice my swordplay to pass the time. I drew Riptide, and began attacking straw-stuffed dummies that I remembered spending hours sewing and stuffing the last summer with...

I felt a tingle on the back of my neck. I whirled and nearly decapitated someone with curly blonde hair and gray eyes and-

"Annabeth!" I exclaimed!

Even in the middle of winter, she still had retained her California-girl tan. She wore a white blouse, and a Camp-Half Blood hoodie over blue jeans and sneakers. She looked travel-weary, but she was still a sight for sore eyes. Just looking at her made my heart attempt takeoff. She smiled at me, and held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Don't shoot!" She smiled again, and my thrumming heart melted. I rolled my eyes, and sheathed my sword.

"Jeez, Annabeth, don't scare me like that. I nearly killed you!"

She laughed derisively.

"You? Kill me? You could never beat me, you know."

I grumbled a little. She was right. That didn't mean I had to like it. She laughed again, and pulled me into a hug, and I relaxed somewhat. She pulled away, and raised her eyebrows.

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?" she asked, a tone of hurt coloring her words. I panicked a little.

"No, no! I'm glad to see you! You're just...early."

"Yeah, my school let out early. Something to do with the principle having a nervous breakdown. I think the parties in the teacher's lounge finally got to him..." I laughed, glad she wasn't mad at me. I plopped down on the dusty arena floor, and Annabeth followed suit. I put my arm around her, and she leaned against me. It felt good to be with Annabeth again, without the constant interruptions-

A skinny kid with a mop of red hair ran into the arena, and nearly tripped over his own two feet. He got his balance, looked over, and turned a shade of red that rivaled the paint job of the Ares cabin.

"Umm-duh...I was supposed to t-tell you, that Ch-Chiron wants you two to meet him at the Big House now." he stuttered. Then he ran away like there was a nasty monster in pursuit of him. I looked at Annabeth questioningly, and she shrugged. We got to our feet, brushed off our clothes, and walked, hand in hand, towards the Big House.

**Again, I apologize for the wait. R&R!**


	5. Rachel Goes Nuts

**Bonjour, fidèles lecteurs. ****Mon histoire se fait bien, non? ****Haha, voici le chapitre 5!**

**Just trying to keep you on your toes. For those of you who don't understand French, I said "Hello, faithful readers. My story is getting good, no? Haha, here's chapter 5!":) I know the last chapter wasn't that great, but I will try to make this one better. Also, I am in a laughy mood, I just read "Nico v. Technology" by Sweetly Blissful. Lol!**

**Chapter 5**

_**Percy**_

We walked towards the Big House, puzzling over what Chiron could want. I really hoped it wasn't anything bad. Call me paranoid, but all I could think about was that something was going down, or someone was dead, or...

I was so lost in thought, I didn't see the white porch post until I smacked into it. I sat down on the ground, hard, while a nice drachma-sized lump grew on my head. Annabeth knelt next to me. She looked concerned, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. She helped me up, and shook her head at my smooth moves (you know, the ones that abandon me at the best moments). I tried to straighten myself out, so I wouldn't look like an idiot, and Annabeth just sighed.

" I swear, Seaweed Brain. How do you manage not to kill yourself without me?" she asked.

"I dunno. Dumb luck?" I replied smartly

"Dumb, alright."she muttered, but she reached up and smoothed my hair over my bump affectionately, so I guess she didn't think I was a total moron. I think. Anyway, we walked up the stairs (carefully), and into the rec room, where Chiron was waiting (in wheelchair form, he can't fit through the doorway of the rec room without it). In a folding chair across the room sat a familiar girl with a mop of frizzy red hair, tamed into a braid. She turned, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare smiled hugely, and ran to give me and Annabeth a hug.

"Hey! I've missed you guys!" she exclaimed. She pulled away, and studied us intently, like we were the subjects of her next painting. I studied her, too. Rachel had gotten a little taller in the last few months. She didn't have as many freckles as she had had last summer, and she was wearing a stereotypical schoolgirl uniform that had a school crest on the pocket. She carried a backpack with a screen printed picture of Vincent VanGogh (dude with one ear) on the front, decorated with Rachel's own doodles and pictures. Looking at her, you wouldn't think anything terribly strange about her, but most people didn't know that she shared residence with the all-knowing spirit of Delphi, who occasionally took her over and spoke creepy prophecies that often determined the future of the world. Little things like that can usually leave you a vegetable, but Rachel seemed none worse for the wear.

Rachel looked over at Chiron and asked "Can we go, Chiron." He nodded, and the three of us walked out of the Big House, and began walking towards the big hill that contained Rachel's cave. Now, I know what you're thinking. A _cave_? How can anyone live in a cave? Let me stop you right there. This isn't any cave. It looks just like the cave that the original Oracle at Delphi stayed in during the old days, in Greece. It's got torches, purple curtains, misty fog, the whole creepy nine yards. The inside is a whole other story. It is totally decked out with hi-tech gear: surround sound speakers, a flat screen, and a DVD/Blu-Ray player. Not that Rachel asked for any of that. The whole cave was Apollo's idea, and she kinda had to go along with it, being his Oracle and everything. Not that she complained. Who questions surround sound and a flat screen? The only thing Rachel added was her prophetic paintings, which told the future in frighteningly accurate detail. They aren't something I like to think about.

As we walked, Rachel told us all about her semester at finishing school, Clarion Academy for Girls. She was in training to become a socialite, and, frankly, I hadn't expected her to last this long. She absolutely hated it there, but she had made a promise to her father, and Rachel wasn't the type to back out of promises. She told us a story about the time her ball dancing teacher, Madame Achu (not achoo, ash-hu), had given her detention for refusing to wear a dress, and Rachel had gotten back at her by slipping a frog into her satin shoes. Annabeth and I were doubled over, laughing, when suddenly Rachel stiffened. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed. I caught her before she cracked her head on the rocks, and lowered her gently to the ground. It wasn't a prophecy coming, I knew that right away. She wasn't spewing green Mist, and her eyes weren't glowing green. Thankfully, Rachel seemed to come out of it as fast as it had come on. The color returned to her face, and she sat up. Annabeth grasped her hand.

"Are you all right, Rachel?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine...fine. A little light headed, that's all." she replied quickly. A little too quickly. I knew something was up. I knelt next to her.

"What did you see?"

She looked at me, and I swear it was the same exact way my mom had looked at me before. Like I was a time bomb, ready to go off.

"Rachel. What did you see?" I asked forcefully.

"Its...its nothing. Or something. I need some time alone." She stood up, and swayed a little.

I grabbed her arm. "Nuh-uh, Rachel. We're taking you to your cave."

She pulled away. "Percy, I'm fine. I need to be alone for a while. The vision..." She trailed off.

"So, you did see something." I persisted. She fixed me with a glare, and I stopped. She turned and walked away. Annabeth turned to me, her gray eyes filled with worry.

"Percy, what is going on?"

I debated whether or not to tell her. I had convinced my self that the way my mom was acting was just in my imagination, but Rachel's episode had shaken me.

"Well..." I told Annabeth everything about my mom and Chiron's mysterious Iris Message. When I finished, she looked at me intensely. I got a cold churning in my stomach.

"What?"

She didn't respond. I figured she was mulling what I had said over. I sat while she thought. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking...we're in trouble."

After that happy observation, I wasn't in the mood to talk much. I told Annabeth I'd see her later, and headed down to my cabin. I walked in, and decided to unpack my camp trunk. I popped the lid, and breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing had broken when I had flung it on the bed. I put it at the foot of my bunk, and began robotically unpacking my stuff. My armor went on the hooks opposite the door. The bag of drachmas on my nightstand. I kept unpacking and organizing, trying to keep my mind off of what was happening to us. I reached the bottom of my trunk, and pulled a tissue-wrapped box out. I smiled when I saw it. It was Annabeth's Christmas present. Shockingly, I hadn't needed any help from my mom when I bought it. My parents had totally approved of it. I guess I wasn't as hopeless with girls as I thought I was. I sat on my bed and debated whether or not to give it to Annabeth when I saw her later. I'd wanted to surprise her when she came to dinner at my parents' house, but I was really excited to give it to her. I replaced it in the trunk, my ADHD brain doing what it did best when it came to decisions: procrastinating. I closed the lid, and looked around. For once, the cabin was neat and orderly, but it wasn't going to stay that way for long, once I was done with it. Suddenly, I felt exhausted, as if I'd been running all day. I flopped on my bed, and stared at the springs of the bed above mine. These strange things were really bothering me. I couldn't help but wonder if somehow, the threat to Olympus wasn't past us. What could possibly be worse than the Titans? I kept mulling the problem over, until I slipped into sleep.

_I stood in an empty, overgrown yard. Brambles and thorns surrounded me, like the grounds hadn't been cared for in a century. A short way off, ruins crumbled in front of me. I could tell it once had been a huge mansion. I walked forward, Riptide in my hand. I came through the brambles, and stumbled into a clearing. It was empty, too. Still, I kept my sword at the ready. Something didn't feel right. Suddenly, I felt a cold tingle at the back of my neck. The shadows were moving. I sank into a defensive crouch, and watched the darkness with baited breath. Suddenly, a huge silver she-wolf melted out of the shadows. She glowed with power, and I suddenly felt afraid, but determined. She lowered its head, and spoke to me in my thoughts:_

"Demigod. Pray that you survive._" She bared her teeth and pounced. I rolled out of the way, and struck at her neck with Riptide. She was fast. She twisted and lunged for my neck. I stepped back, feinted to the side, and attacked her flank. Somehow, she maneuvered away from my sword. Growling, she spoke again._

"A contradiction. Juno plays a dangerous game..._" She melted away from the shadows, and my dream faded..._

I woke with a start. My heart was thudding, and my muscles were tensed. I glanced around, and tried to relax. Just a dream. Just a dream. I shook my head. Demigods didn't have "just dreams". Visions and omens were what we saw when we slept. I had no idea what my dream meant, but I knew one thing: Annabeth was right.

We were all in danger.

**Mary Rachel: *speaks in a old time superhero narrator voice* What will befall our young heros? What did Rachel see? And will someone get me a burrito? Find out in the next installment of...*cuts off as a empousa attacks* GAHHHHH! TAKE THAT!**

**R&R, please!**


	6. Chiron Makes a Sucky Announcement

**I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. I have been really busy with end of the year stuff. To make up for it, and to reward your fabulous patience, I have written an extra-long, action packed chapter just for you faithful, fabulous readers! P.S A familiar friend is making a special guest appearance!**

**S****pecial Thanks go to InTheClosetFanFicReader for being the only person to give me a burrito! Haha! R&R.**

**Chapter 6**

_**Percy**_

I had absolutely no idea what my dream could mean. Even after four years as a demigod, I still sucked at mythology, but I could still place some myths. This one had me stumped, however. I just couldn't think of where a she-wolf belonged in Greek legends. Even so, the dream had been so real. The crumbling ruins, the dancing shadows. Every instinct I had had been screaming _Danger! Enemy!_, like the very ground had been poisonous to me. It takes a lot to rattle me, but this dream had shaken me to my core.

_Enough! _I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. There was no point in worrying about this. I had had enough dreams like this to know that whatever was coming, there was no stopping the Fates. I walked over to my trunk, and grabbed some stuff out of it for later, and headed out of my cabin. Even though I tried, my hyperactive, slightly paranoid brain wouldn't let it go. I walked blindly, so lost in thought that I didn't see it coming. BAM! I found myself on the ground, shaking myself out of stupor for the second time in less than a day.

"Oh crap. Sorry, Percy. I didn't see you there." I looked into the reddening face of Travis Stoll, who was also on the ground, nursing a bump on his head that was probably identical to the fresh one I felt swelling on my head. A little ways off stood Katie Gardner, who was trying her best not to laugh (and failing miserably). I stood up a little shakily, and pulled Travis to his feet.

"S'ok, man. I'm used to it." Travis snorted. Clearly, he'd heard about my brief relationship with the poach of the Big House. As Katie walked over, I shook Travis' hand, and smiled at Katie.

"How're things going, guys?"

"Not bad." Travis answered.

Katie nudged him, and he yelped.

"What was that for?" he demanded. Katie rolled her eyes, and spoke "Percy, we were going around to let everybody know about Capture the Flag for tonight."

Capture the Flag? In the winter? It was a foreign concept to me. Usually, the winter session was so sparse that we didn't play Capture the Flag. It made sense, I guessed. Tons of campers equaled enough bodies to have a good match. To be honest, I'd been itching to see some action. Swinging a sword in a Manhattan apartment building was not the best of ideas, as I had sadly found out when I was messing around with Riptide, and had taken out the Christmas tree. (Yeah, I got grounded. Mom and Paul weren't too happy with me.) I grinned.

"Sounds awesome! Thanks for telling me."

Travis smiled, and he waved bye, swinging his hand into Katie's as he went. I shook my head at their retreating backs. Those two. It was almost as disturbing as my...

_STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!_

Dinner passed quietly. I took the opportunity to recruit a lot of newbie campers for the blue team. I was determined to get the flag for Poseidon tonight. I'd hadn't managed to pull it off yet, but I was confident about this match. The new campers weren't well trained, but they were eager and could be put to good use. I just about jumped out of my seat with excitement. On the blue team was Poseidon, Hermes, Demeter, Athena, Hecate, and a bunch of other cabins. Everybody else had been picked up by the red team, who was being led by, surprisingly, the Iris cabin. Apparently, Butch was a demon on the battlefield. Mental note: Don't make an enemy of Butch.

As dinner ended, and campers dispersed to get ready for Capture The Flag, I walked over to the Athena table. Annabeth and one of her half sisters, Jessica Something, were deep in discussion. Probably strategy for the game. Jessica looked over, and grinned at me. She stood up and left, and Annabeth turned around and patted the spot next to her. I slid into the bench and took her hand. We leaned back against the bench, watching the happenings of camp. Annabeth turned towards me. Her gray eyes were stormy, like she was trying to solve an immensely difficult puzzle. I touched the worry lines of her forehead.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Just trying to piece it together. What you told me. Rachel's vision. The dreams. The gods going silent-"

"Wait, what? The gods went silent?"

Annabeth got a troubled look on her face. "Haven't you noticed, Percy. It's been that way for about a month. None of the gods are communicating with camp, save claiming their kids."

"Why didn't anybody tell me sooner?"I asked, a little testily. I hate not knowing things, and this seemed like a major thing to not tell me.

"I don't know. We've gotten used to it, I guess. I'm sorry, Percy."

I nodded. One more thing to add to the big pile of strange that was being dumped in front of me.

"Do you know why?"

"We're not sure. Even Mr. D was recalled." She didn't sound terribly heartbroken about that last part, but that still worried me. Mr. D being recalled from his probation at Camp Half-Blood couldn't mean anything good, barring the fact that the old lazy drunk wasn't around to make our lives miserable.

"Well, awesome!" I said, trying to be positive, but the effort sounded weak even to me. So I changed the subject.

"So, about Christmas. You still planning on coming."

Annabeth cracked a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world." My free hand drifted to my pocket, where the tissue wrapped box was stowed, but something held me back from taking it out. Annabeth didn't seem to notice, thankfully. She still seemed anxious. I shifted so I was facing her, and put my arm around her.

"Look, whatever's happening, we'll figure it out. We're a team, remember?" I said.

Annabeth smiled for real this time. The tension went out of her body, and her gray eyes seemed to lighten. I felt a little flutter in my stomach as I stared into her pretty eyes. They seemed to get bigger as I drifted towards her face. She smelled like lemons and peppermints. I kissed her gently, and she kissed me back, the way she had when we had sat at the Poseidon table four months ago and finally had kissed for real. We broke apart suddenly, as the conch horn sounded for the campers to gather. Annabeth looked a little flushed, but really happy. I felt a little dizzy, but I was still there enough to stand up. I took Annabeth's hand, and we walked towards the armory through a light snowfall.

I suited up with my armor, and gathered with my team by the entrance to the woods. We went over our plan one last time. The idea was that a strike force of new and old campers, split into a few groups would distract the main force of the red team. Scouts would find holes in their defenses, and a few of the most experienced campers would go in for the kill. Simple and effective. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

Of course, I was dead wrong.

Chiron blew the conch horn, and the battle started. We planted our flag on a small hill, and spread out. I started creeping along the border alone, waiting for a signal. The woods were peaceful. The birds chirped, the trees creaked, and the wind whistled through them. I stayed quiet, waiting, which was extremely difficult. Finally, though, I got a bird-call whistle from one of our scouts. I ran silently into the enemy's territory. As I raced, I heard several sharp _CRACKS, _and I froze. Then, metallic creaking, and a liquid dribbling. I started moving away slowly, my sword at the ready. What came out was something I was not prepared for.

_ROAR!_ As the monster lept into the clearing, a blast of fire came at me. I rolled to the side as the flames hit a tree. The dryad of the tree popped out, and tried to put out the fire. I got up, and got a good look at what I was facing. What I saw made me nearly drop my sword. It was the bronze dragon.

I remembered the dragon. A couple of summers ago, I, along with Annabeth, Charles Beckendorf, and Silena Beauregard, had reactivated the bronze dragon, when some Myrmekes (killer ants the size of SUV's) had caught Beckendorf and dragged him down into their lair. Apparently, the dragon was a guardian of the camp a bazillion years ago, and had shut itself down in the woods. We'd had reattached the head, and woke it up. It had saved Beckendorf, and then turned on us. I'd almost died, but Beckendorf managed to tame it. For awhile, we were training it to defend the camp. It was really difficult, though. The dragon was haywire. Then Beckendorf had died, and it got even worse. Now here it was, staring at me like I was demigod chow.

I heard a rustling behind me, but I didn't look to see what it was. My eyes fixed on the dragon, I slowly started backing away. It glared at me with its ruby eyes, and I gulped. One false move, and...

"Oh my gods!"

The dragon turned its head and snarled at the little kid who had stumbled into the clearing. It started leaping towards the kid, who started running for his life. I went into action, running towards the dragon, and knocking the kid out of the way. I stabbed my sword into its head, and it swung its head towards me, knocking me over. Great. Three times now. I rolled backwards and landed on my feet. The kid had disappeared, but I heard shouts, and people stumbled into the clearing. I charged the dragon, and managed to leap on its back. Like Beckendorf did two summers ago, I tried for the control panel in its head, to knock it out. Unfortunately, the thing threw me off, and I hit the ground hard. The dragon blasted fire, then took off, roaring manaically. I got to my feet and cursed. It was going for the cabins. Dimly aware of the other campers behind me, I raced for the cabins. I was too slow, though. By the time I got there, three cabins were on fire, and another was smashed. It turned towards me, roared one more time, and lumbered off towards the woods. I stood there, dumbfounded. What in the name of Poseidon had just happened?

Annabeth ran up to me.

"What happened, Percy?" I barely managed to get the story out. By that time, all the campers were thankfully out of the woods. Dryads had put out the fires. Everybody was safe, thought the displaced kids weren't real happy. Chiron came over and assessed the damage. Then, he turned towards the Hephaestus kids, and said "The dragon belongs to the Hephaestus cabin. It must be captured." Then he stamped his hoof to get attention.

"Heroes! Nobody will return to the woods until the dragon is brought under control. It is far too dangerous." At this announcement, the whole camp started yelling and protesting. Chiron had to blow his conch to regain order.

"I am sorry, but that is the way it has to be. Now, return to your cabins. The game is over."

I walked dejectedly towards my cabin. So much for getting the flag...

**The story of Festus! R&R, ladies and gentlemen.**


	7. A Plan Worthy ofAphrodite?

**Mary Rachel: *screams loudly* GET AWAY FROM ME! HELP! STALKER!**

**Other person: No, no! I'm not a stalker! I just want the next chapter!**

**Mary Rachel: Oh. Sorry. Here it is. Geez. There's a doorbell. You could've rung it, instead of breaking my window.**

**Other person: But that's not as fun!**

**With all these depressing and traumatic events, what could possibly happen next? More trauma? Maybe. Interesting events? Most defiantly...**

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Annabeth**_

I stood shivering in front of the damaged cabins, cursing silently. Months of work, crushed by the camp's resident army tank in under five seconds. My mind went on autopilot, assessing the damage, redesigning blueprints, deciding what had to be done. As my mind raced, I heard the rest of the camp moaning and complaining about the canceled games. The kids from the flattened Janus cabin picked through the rubble, salvaging their things; the counselors ushered their campers to their cabins. Chiron trotted over to me, and touched me gently on the shoulder. I sighed, and trudged towards my cabin. As I walked, I heard a roar in the distance.

So much for a good day.

Monday dawned bright and clear. As I woke up and stretched, I almost smiled. Then I remembered what had happened last night, and I sobered up real fast. I woke the rest of the cabin up, and ushered everybody down to breakfast. There was work to do.

After a hurried meal, some of the best workers from the Athena cabin and I walked down to the Big House. Chiron greeted me and led me into the rec room, where we held all our important meetings. I picked my way around the grapevines (a little parting gift from Mr. D) and spread the cabin blueprints out on the Ping Pong table.

"Okay, this isn't too complicated. We're going to need..." I started rattling off a list of instructions to my construction crew. The damaged cabins would be fixed first, to get them out of the way. Then, the Hebe cabin needed to be totally rebuilt, which was shaping up to be extremely complicated. For one thing, there wasn't anything salvageable from the ruins. The design of the cabin was really delicate, with the majority of it being glass doors. To top it off, most of the materials was stuff we didn't have at camp. I turned to Argus, who was standing in the corner, and told him what we were going to need from the hardware store in the city. He nodded and walked towards the driveway, where our delivery trucks were parked. I put my hands on the table, and hung my head in exhaustion. I let myself slump for a half-second. Then I straightened and headed out of the Big House, armed with my blueprints. It was going to be a very long day...

The sun was starting to dip in the west when we finished. It had been difficult, but the fire-damaged cabins were as good as new, and the Hebe cabin had been totally rebuilt. I was tired, but extremely pleased. I had imagined that the reconstruction would've taken at least a week, but I'd had an excellent crew. The Hecate cabin had even pitched in, performing complex spells to speed the process along. The whole cabin was passed out in their beds at the moment, but they had been invaluable.

"Great work, guys. Thank you so much!" I said. The crew, grimy and sweaty, mumbled groggily and stumbled away to shower and nap. I sat down for a moment and rested. It felt good to be finished. The kids had already moved back in to their cabins. Even so, there was still a angry feeling in the air. The dragon was still loose. The woods were totally off-limits, and the whole camp was depressed and angry. In addition, the dreams were getting worse. Last night's had been _awful_. The things I had seen... I didn't even want to think about it. I couldn't think about it. I had to be strong. I heaved a sigh and resolved to try to be positive, for everybody else's sake. Self-pity never did me any good. I got up and started walking towards my cabin, trying to focus on good things, like my latest project for Olympus. By the time I got to Cabin Six, I had what I thought was a reasonable expression of happiness on my face. I guess it worked, because nobody gave me any strange looks, as I walked over to my bed. I closed the lid of my laptop, tucked it into its satchel, and slung it over my shoulders. Then I straightened up, and yelled "Cabin Six! Fall in!".

The sun was hanging low in the sky when dinner ended. Nobody had talked, except for the Aphrodite and Apollo cabins. They had all been whispering and giggling, moving across the dining hall to each others tables and whispering in each others ears, like there was something exciting going on. I'd had rolled my eyes, thinking they were just being shallow and stupid, as usual. Everybody walked towards the cabins, not in the mood to talk. I glanced over at Percy as he walked towards the Poseidon cabin all alone. I couldn't help but think about how lonely he must be, without Tyson. He looked up and saw me watching him. He smiled and raised his hand in greeting. His sea green eyes looked stormy, like there were mini typhoons raging in them. They always got that way the when he was in a brooding mood. I wondered if he blamed himself for what had happened last night. It would be so typical of him, trying to shoulder all the blame and responsibility, like the big, dumb hero he was.

As the cabins loomed closer, I thought I heard the sounds of music, and I wasn't the only one. Everybody stopped walking and listened carefully. Defiantly music. I turned in the direction of the beach, where I thought they were coming from. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I walked towards the sand, trying to figure out what was going on, and everybody followed me. We walked down the beach trail. The music got louder, and I noticed magical torches in the trees, lighting our path. The trail ended, and we spilled onto the beach. I looked to the western end of the beach, and what I saw made my jaw drop.

Speakers. Big, nightclub speakers. A sweet DJ setup. Strobe lights, and floating light orbs that were changing colors. A dance floor, and a table of drinks. Standing in front of this scene was the Aphrodite and Apollo cabins, grinning like they had brought heaven down to earth. Will Fletcher stepped forward and spread his arms.

"Well?" he said, beaming.

I couldn't say anything. I was in shock. So was everybody else. I rubbed my eyes, but the scene didn't leave. Alana from the Aphrodite cabin said "The camp was getting _wayyy_ too depressing. It was all, like, who died, and stuff. So we are going to party!"

Nyssa, from the Hephaestus cabin, stepped forward, and said "But, won't we get in trouble?"

Alana waved her perfectly manicured hand and said "We got permission from Chiron. Its all good! Now, come on! Lets do this!" Squealing, the Aphrodite cabin rushed the dance floor. I looked around.

"Well?" I asked.

Everybody shrugged, and ran for the dance floor, whooping it up! I looked at Percy, and he gave me a crazy grin. He grabbed my hand, and dragged me over to the party, while a crazy dance song pumped through the speakers. Despite myself, I started laughing, really enjoying myself. I guess the Aphrodite cabin was smarter than everybody gave them credit for.

**PARTY! Something for our heroes so they can feel better. I'll continue the scene in the next chapter. You know what to do...**


	8. We Are Broken

**The last chapter was a little short, but I needed it to set the scene for this chapter. Epic things are going down now. We're getting closer to where the Lost Hero starts, and that's where this story will end. But don't worry, I'm planning a sequel. I am going to recommend that you listen to music while reading this chapter. Fast dance music, and romantic ballads are your best bet. Kay, I'll shut up now.**

P.S I just realized that I'd hadn't done this, so I'll say the most common phrase in PJO fanficts: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! Or any other characters I mention that belong to Rick Riordan. I own any OC's mentioned. There. I'm not going to say it again, that's just plain annoying. I also don't own any songs or artists I mention in this chapter. Enjoy!

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**Annabeth**_

The dance floor (basically a large patch of swept sand) was packed with dancing demigods. The satyrs and nymphs danced on the fringes of the crowd. The strobe lights flashed, and glow sticks were passed through the crowd, so it looked like there were spastatically moving glowing sticks in the dimming light. Dance circles formed, with people dancing in the center, showing off their awesome moves (or lack of thereof). Under DJ Jake's careful eye, Top Forty songs pounded through the speakers. I was dancing like a maniac, laughing wildly. The music seemed to suck all the depressing events of the last few months and release them into the air, where they drifted away. For the first time in months, I wasn't tense, or scared, or worried, or anything else. I felt free.

After awhile, I left the crowd to get a drink. I was amazed at how fast this had been put together. The party was awesome, and just what everybody needed! I almost wished I had thought of it.

Percy came over, and grabbed a bottle of water. We stood there, watching Connor and George trying to impress some Aphrodite girls, who were ignoring them. Connor tried to do a back flip as George attempted to break dance. The resultant crash had Percy and me doubled over laughing. Connor and George stumbled away, swearing loudly and trying not to cry. Gods, they were morons. I wiped the tears out of my eyes and tried to compose myself.

Alana and Will came walking past us, clearly basking in the glory of their work. I reached out and caught Will's arm.

"Thanks, you guys. Thank you so much." I said.

Will grinned. "Don't thank me, Annabeth. Thank Alana. It was all her idea."

I turned incredulously towards her. "Seriously? How did you convince Drew to let you take charge?"

Alana rolled her brown eyes. "It wasn't easy, believe me. I thought she was going to murder me when I suggested it. So I kept it a secret from her. She over there, sulking." She pointed to a cluster of rock a distance away from the throng of dancers, where I could clearly see Drew rolling her eyes, as her little cronies snickered at every person who passed by.

I grinned. Drew deserved to be brought down a few notches.

"Gosh, that's too bad. Guess everybody can have a good time now." Percy joked. Alana and Will laughed, and then walked off towards a jetty down the beach, hand in hand.

The song ended, and _We Are Broken _by Paramore came on. The break dance circles dissolved as people paired off, swaying gently to the slow song.

_I am outside, and I've been waiting for the sun, _

_with my wide eyes.  
>I've seen worlds that don't belong, <em>

_my mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize, _

_tell me why we live like this?_

_Keep me safe inside, your arms like towers; tower over me..._

"Wanna dance?"

I was startled. Then I realized Percy was asking me to dance. I recovered myself quickly, and said

"I'd love too. Who should I ask?"

I punctuated it with an evil smirk, and he gently punched my shoulder.

"How about me, Wise Girl?"

"Okay. Wanna dance?"

"I'd love too."

Percy held his hand out with a flourish, like an old-fashioned gentleman, and I took it. We walked back towards the dance floor. I put my arms around his waist, and leaned my head against his strong chest. He put his arms around my shoulders, and we swayed to Hayley's voice.

_...so everyone will have a choice _

_and under red lights, _

_I'll show myself it wasn't forged. _

_We're at war, we live like this._

_Keep me safe inside, your arms like towers; _

_tower over me.  
><em>

I could feel Percy's heart thumping through his shirt. He smelled a little like the sea, but not in a bad way. It reminded me of sea breezes, and ocean flowers.

_Because we are broken, _

_what must we do to restore our innocence _

_and all the promise we adored? _

_Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole._

I hugged him a little closer to me, enjoying how safe I felt in his arms. Call me crazy, but I felt like we wouldn't get to enjoy moments like this for very long.

_Tower over me, tower over me ...and I'll take the truth at any cost._

_Because we are broken, _

_what must we do to restore our innocence _

_and all the promise we adored? _

_Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole._

The song ended, but we didn't move apart right away. I couldn't stand to stop dancing with him, but I gently reprimanded myself, and moved away. A fast rap song came on, and some guys came over: Travis and Connor, Jake Mason, and Mark, and dragged Percy away, shouting about needing guy time. I rolled my eyes, and joined Katie, her sister Angel, and Lacy from the Aphrodite cabin watching the guys bust out their best dance moves. Needless to say, they did not qualify for _Dancing With The Stars_. Still, it was hilarious to watch them try to dance to Empire State of Mind. Travis was trying to be Jay-Z, rapping along, and rocking a pair of sunglasses. I cracked up, wishing that I had a video camera. Percy looked over at me, winked, then attempted a back flip that never made it all the way around. I nearly had a seizure as he rubbed his third head bump, and made a puppy dog face at me. I shook my head to say _You're on your own, buddy_. Finally, the song ended, and the swaggering idiots returned to their dates with a lot of applause.

"You are such a kelp-head, you know." I informed him. He chuckled.

"Yeah, well, what're you gonna do? You're stuck with me." he proclaimed.

"You know, that could change easily." I said, with my most serious expression. His grin faded instantly, until I started laughing, and he realized that I was joking.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain. Dance with me!" I grabbed his hand, and pulled him back to the dance floor.

**There is more going to go down, but I wanted to end this chapter right here. Don't worry, next chapter will be up in the blink of an eye. While I begin work on Chapter Nine, READ AND REVIEW! (or you will never know what happens next! Oooo, threat! I went there!)**


	9. What Not To Do When Trying To

**Ok, so it was more like a few days. Don't kill me! End of the year stuff is keeping me busy, but now I have a nice weekend to catch up. I know that most of the chapters so far are in Percy's POV, but I assure you that soon, you will be seeing things through Annabeth's eyes. P.S. Romantic stuff= good. Buzzkill= epically funny character fail. Hahahaahhahha!**

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**What Not To Do When Trying To Impress Annabeth**_

_**Percy**_

I was dancing to a fast song with Annabeth, twirling her around like we were swing dancing, and hamming it up for the cameras that were flashing. I don't know how much time passed, but after a while, I was feeling flushed, and a little lightheaded. The moon was rising in the sky, and it cast a silvery glow on everything. Annabeth looked beautiful in the moonlight, like she was glowing. The image sent me back to the day, two years ago, where I thought she was going to join the Hunters, and I had almost lost her. That was the day, I think, that I started to realize just how much I liked her. The memory of the panic I had felt came rushing back, fresh and painful. I looked down at her again, just to make sure she was really there, which she was, thankfully. The tissue wrapped box seemed to grow heavier in my pocket, like the right moment was coming. I drew Annabeth in closer, and whispered in her ear.

"Do you want to take a walk?"

She nodded. She did look a little flushed, so I wasn't too worried about leaving the party. I took her hand, and we started towards the woods, thought we wouldn't go near them. I subconsciously flinched as I remembered how close I came to getting toasted last night.

We walked down the beach slowly, enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the sand. I glanced over at her. She seemed so much more relaxed than she'd been last night. I couldn't see any worry on her face. I was glad. Frankly, she'd been starting to worry me. I knew she'd been dreaming some pretty bad things, but nothing bad could be possibly coming. Could it? No. It couldn't.

We came upon a jetty a few yards ahead, and climbed onto the warm, surf-smoothed rocks. Even though I wasn't touching the water, being out in the sea like that was instantly soothing. I leaned back against a large rock that was placed just right, so it made a seat large enough for two. I put my arm around Annabeth's shoulders, my hand still twined with hers. We sat there for a while in amiable silence, watching the full moon. I looked for the constellations Annabeth had taught me: Orion, Scorpius, Ursa Major, Hercules, and others. There were so many stars clustered in the sky that night, it was nearly impossible to pick out the constellations. I settled back comfortably, completely content.

Suddenly, a silver streak shot across the sky, followed by another, brighter streak. A meteor shower! The sky was filled with shots of multicolored light, as vibrant as a fireworks show. Annabeth laughed, sounding like a delighted five year old. I pointed to the sky as two metors skipped across the sky and formed a cross.

"Make a wish." Annabeth said. I closed my eyes and thought for a while, then opened my eyes. Annabeth was staring at the sky as the metors zoomed by at a bajillion miles an hour. I could see their reflections in her eyes. I settled back again and enjoyed the show.

I couldn't tell you how long we sat there, watching the stars fall. Eventually, they tapered off, and Annabeth casually glanced at her watch. The glowing face displayed the time: almost midnight. With regret, I stood up and brushed the dust off of my jeans, then offered my hand to Annabeth. She stood up a little unsteadily, and almost slipped off the edge of the rocks, but I caught her and steadied her.

"Thanks." she said. We started walking towards the cabins, carefully picking our way across the sharp rocks. We didn't say a word as we walked, just enjoying each other's company. Annabeth had taken off her shoes to keep the sand out of them, and swung them by the laces. We passed the open air mess hall, and entered the cabin compound. The eternal braizer in the center of the Omega was burning brightly, and cast long, eerie shadows.

Annabeth swung my hand a little. "Well, good night."

"Wait a second, Annabeth."

I dropped her hand and began searching through my pockets. Gods, where _was _it?

"What are you doing, Percy?" she said, looking beamused.

Not looking up from my desperate search, I said, "I was supposed to wait until Christmas, but I really can't wait anymore." Oh my gods, it was gone! Crap, crap, crap...

"Wait for what?"

"Umm..." Crap. What was I going to do?

Suddenly, I heard a whooping, and torchlight dancing along the cabins. Connor and Travis burst in, followed by a bazillion people, laughing and whooping it up, buzzed off of party vibes. I was saved.

Annabeth turned to me, looking a little annoyed, but still smiling.

"Whatever it was, its going have to wait. Sorry, Seaweed Brain." She leaned over and kissed me, then walked into her cabin, where I could see a feathers and pillows flying every where. I turned away, and buried my head in my hands. Crap. Why me? I was soooo dead.

_I stumbled around in the hazy mist. The place was completely unfamiler, and that nasty tingle at the back of my neck told me that I was in massive trouble. I raised my sword, which glowed faintly, lighting a path through the fog. I was on my guard, waiting. _

_The ruins of the mansion loomed ahead of me. I was drawn towards them, like some other force was pressing on my back, pushing me. I crawled through burnt bricks, and walked through a U-shaped entryway. As I walked, the earthen floor seemed to rise up around me, sucking me in. I entered a large courtyard, and what I saw made my jaw drop. _

_A cage of earth. Three people stood near it, working frantically. Two of them, a boy and a girl, were staring intently at the cage. The girl appeared to be _talking_ to it, and the boy was attacking a corner of the cage with a chainsaw. The other sight, though, wanted to make me scream in terror. A huge monster, bigger than any god or Titan, stood in front of me, laughing. But not at me. Another boy stood in front of the giant, barehanded. He had a look of pure anger and determination on his face. As I watched, he launched himself at the giant. I wanted to stop him, but the dream faded. I was blasted away from the scene..._

_The dream shifted. I was in a cabin. It was simple, but the walls resonated with power. I saw I bolt of lighting painted elegently on the far wall. All signs pointed to Zeus, but this wasn't the Zeus cabin at camp. Confused, I looked around. Over in a corner, a single bed. I looked over to a small shelf, and saw a little reflecting pool. I looked into it, but didn't see my own reflection. Blue eyes, close-cropped blonde hair, a scar on the lip. The reflection's eyes widened at the same time mine did. I reached out tentitivly, and touched the water._

_BLAM!_

_And blackness._

**OMG! You know what to do!**


	10. Ever Heard of Murphy's Law?

**Thank you so much to everybody who sent me reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, including this story. Don't worry! Not yet! I've still got two more chapters! You ain't getting' rid of me that easy! **

**P.S Have you all read the preview for The Son Of Neptune? It is thoroughly awesome! October can't come soon enough!**

_**Chapter 10**_

_**Ever Heard of Murphy's Law?**_

_**Annabeth**_

BRINNG!

"No..."

BRINNG!

"Go away..."

BRINNNNNG!

"Fine."

I sat up blearily and rubbed my eyes, then slapped my alarm clock. The bells stopped ringing. Fighting the immense desire to go back to sleep, I got up and stretched. Around the cabin, people were feebly stirring, rubbing sleep dust out of their eyes, and squinting against the sunlight.__I hopped out of bed, and padded over to the showers to get ready for the day.

I came out toweling my hair dry fifteen minutes later. Everybody else was almost ready, except for Malcolm and Austin. They were still zonked out in their bunks. Malcolm was drooling like a bloodhound, and Austin was sucking his thumb. I looked over at Kiley and Reagan, who were armed with video cameras. Tara was sneaking over to Malcolm's bunk. She looked over at me, and I nodded. In one swift move, she snatched Malcolm drool-soaked pillow out from under his head and smacked it onto Austin's. Both boys started, and Malcolm fell out of his bunk, while everybody else started cracking up. Tara handed Malcolm back his pillow while he and Austin stumbled to the showers, completely red in the face.

Another fifteen minutes passed before I was leading Cabin Six to breakfast. Everybody was pouring out of their cabins and trudging up the hill wearily. Everybody looked wiped, and had the crazed faces associated with caffeine-addicted workers. I gulped a little. Maybe a party wasn't the best idea in retrospect. Oh well. Too late now.

And speaking of the party...I craned my neck, looking around for Percy. I didn't see him, but I assumed he was just in the mass of tired demigods. I focused on not tripping on a little eight-year old Apollo kid, and sat down at the Athena table in my usual place. The food appeared on the plates, and everybody got up to scrape offerings into the braziers. I scraped a couple of sausages and a waffle into the flames, and sat down again. As we dug in, I looked over at the Poseidon table. Empty. A gnawing feeling developed in my gut. Something wasn't right.

Apparently Chiron was having the same thought, because he leaned over to a satyr and whispered in his ear. The satyr nodded and trotted off towards the cabins. I looked over at my siblings, who were stuffing their faces full of scrambled eggs, and not paying attention. I got up quietly, slipped out of the pavilion, and slipped my Yankee cap on. As fast as I could, I crept towards the cabins.

The Poseidon cabin was just over the hill from the dining pavilion. As I approached, I noticed that the door was thrown wide open. Breathing quietly, I peeked my head in. The cabin looked the same. The bed looked slept in, and clothes were strewn everywhere. Still, it felt cold and empty. I listened intently. I heard a couple of voices, not belonging to Percy. I carefully stepped over the threshold and looked around. Over in the corner, the satyr from the mess hall was talking to a slightly taller figure. It turned, and I saw it was Grover. His eyes were slitted, they way they go when he's seriously freaked. The gnawing feeling in my gut grew worse.

Grover closed his eyes in concentration, murmuring words I couldn't catch. Then, he opened his eyes. He looked really upset.

"No good, Chester. I can't get through. Its like... a cut phone line."

"What does it mean?" Chester asked.

"I don't know. This isn't normal. Its like..."

"Like he disappeared."

I took off my cap as I spoke. My heart was racing, and most of my brain was praying to every god I knew of that this wasn't happening.

Grover nodded. "Yeah. Just like that."

I felt my skin flash hot, then ice cold. I felt every ounce of blood drain out of my face.

"Oh, gods, Annabeth." Grover walked over to me, tried to support me. I shook him off.

"Try again."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Annabeth. I've tried. It's no good."

Oh gods oh gods oh gods...No. I couldn't afford to go to pieces. I set my jaw and walked out of the cabin. I heard the camp alarm go up, and a rush of campers flowed over the hill, chattering confusedly. Chiron stamped his hoof for order. The mass of demigods spread out over every inch of the camp...

()()()()()()()

I sat on the steps of the steps of the Big House, utterly drained. The sun was hanging low in the sky, spreading the beautiful colors everywhere, which seemed like a cruel joke, after the day we'd had. Everybody had combed every inch of the camp, looking for Percy. We'd sent tons of Iris-Messages, trying to reach them. They never got through. We called his mom, trying to get through. Nothing. No sign. The Hephaestus cabin had even braved the woods to look for him. Jake Mason was in a body cast, and half of the Hephaestus cabin were sporting broken legs and third degree burns.

There was no sign. He was gone.

The thought was too much for me to bear. I broke down crying. Where could he possibly be? What had happened. Why? Was it possible that he had been here only yesterday, holding my hand and dancing with me?

Why had I ignored the signs? This was all my fault. The dreams, the visions. They made more sense now. Why hadn't I done _something?_

I sat there for a while, too upset to move. I felt like the world had been pulled out from underneath me. I sobbed for three more seconds. Four. Five. Then I breathed deeply, and stood. I walked towards the beach. I needed to clear my head.

I walked aimlessly on the sand, trying to forget, wishing I could disappear, too. I walked for a long time, until the sun was gone. I thought back to last night. The stars had been beautiful, and everything had been so fun. I thought about our last conversation, the way he'd been so panicked, like he'd lost something important. What was he trying to tell me? I didn't understand.

I felt the ground change from sand to hard rock. I picked my head up and looked around. It was the same jetty we'd sat on last night, watching the meteor shower. It seemed like a dream now. I picked my way over to the rock that seemed to be stuck straight up in the jetty, like a chair. I sat, watching the waves.

My hands brushed against something soft, and I started. I turned to my right, and saw a white object lodged in the rocks. Curious, I carefully wedged it out. When it was freed, I saw it was a small box, wrapped in tissue paper. On a piece of tape, my name was written, in familiar, messy handwriting. I was confused, but I carefully peeled the tissue away, and opened the box.

I breathed sharply. Nestled on some more tissue paper, on a simple silver chain, was a silver locket, carved in the shape of a rose. My favorite flower. There was no note, but I knew. This is what Percy had been trying to give to me last night. It must've fallen out of his pocket. It was a miracle that it was still her, undamaged from the salt water. I gently lifted it out of the box, and looked at it, tears running down my face. I gently opened the locket. There, in the frame, was a picture of me and Percy, grinning happily at the camera. I remembered taking this picture. I'd gone over to his apartment one day in November, and his stepfather, Paul, had taken the candid. I looked down at my smiling image, and had trouble believing that that was me. That Annabeth was happy and confident. This Annabeth desperately needed a plan, and for once in my life, that ability had deserted me.

A sudden surge of anger went through me. I _was not_ going to let this crisis push me around, and shatter my confidence. I wasn't going to sit on my butt and take it. I carefully undid the clasp of the necklace, and put it around my neck. I closed the clasp, stood up, and climbed down to the edge of the jetty, where the sea met the rocks, sending up a spray. I pulled a flashlight out of my pocket, and a handful of golden drachmas. I shone the light on the spray, and tossed the coin through the mist. I made my request, and an old friend appeared in the mist.

"Thalia. We've got a problem."

()()()()()()(()()()()

_**Just a couple more chapters! :( Thank you all for being so fabulous!**_


	11. The Mother Of All Bullies Sends Me On A

**Thanks for the comments, guys! It makes me sad, too. I've been giving a lot of thought to the sequel, and I'm tossing around the idea of skipping over The Son Of Neptune to where (in theory) the Argo II is built. I don't want to try a SON fic now that the first chapter is out, but I really want to get to the final battle. What do you all think? Anyway, enough blah blah. **

**Peace, love, and Junior Mints!**

**P.S Sorry. One more dream scene. They are important, even though I think they've been coming up too much. Ah well. Can't mess with Fate.**

**Chapter Eleven**

_**The Mother of All Bullies Sends Me on a Quest**_

_**Annabeth**_

CLANG! Travis's sword fell to the ground. I spun, slammed the blade of my sword into Connor's head, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. I stabbed my blade into the dust, as Travis helped his brother up, and walked away, sweaty and bruised. Breathing hard, I looked around the arena for fresh opponents. No one but me, and the straw-stuffed dummies. I sheathed my sword, and walked over to the water cooler. My arms were shaking, and I kept spilling the water everywhere. Cursing loudly, I slammed the cup down and stalked off.

The one part of my brain that was currently hanging on to reason chided me for being so aggressive and mean. It wasn't fair to take out my anger on everybody else. Just cause it had been two days, and no sign of him...I winced. Even thinking about it caused me more anguish than I cared to experience. So I distracted myself. Hence the painful butt-whooping I'd been handing to every person who stepped into the arena. I sighed. I really felt bad about it.

Thoroughly pissed, I walked back towards the armory to drop off the borrowed sword. Naturally, I didn't watch where I was going. Bang! I was suddenly staring at the bright blue sky, my mouth full of what I suspected was mud and a little blood. Ow...

"Are you okay, Annabeth?" a concerned voice asked. A cold hand reached down, and pulled me up. I shook my head to clear my blurry thoughts. Rachel stood there, looking apologetic. Her green eyes looked red, and her fair skin was a little pale. I knew she'd been trying to cast around in the future, trying to get a sign of...I winced. There it was again. I cursed myself, and tried to disguise it the best I could, but Rachel wasn't the Oracle of Delphi for nothing. She arched one red eyebrow, looking so much like my shrink-wannabe roommate that I wanted to laugh. Instead, I took a breath, and tried to ask her the question that she'd heard from me about a thousand times a day. She held up her hand, cutting me off.

"I've been trying, Annabeth. Really hard. The future is so foggy...there's about a hundred ways things could play out. There's nothing clear or concrete. I'm sorry." Rachel said. She looked really dejected, like Percy's disappearance was hurting her as badly as it was hurting everyone else. Still, it sounded like she was hiding something important. I wondered...

"Can I walk with you, Rachel?" She shrugged.

"Free country. What do you need to say?" She knew me too well. I blew out a breath. Here it goes.

"Rachel. Do you remember, on the day you arrived, your fainting spell?" I asked tentatively, like I was delicately pulling out the pin on a grenade.

"Not something I'm likely to forget, Annabeth. What about it." Rachel said, a little more edgy.

"You had a vision."

Rachel opened her mouth, about ready to deny it, then shut her mouth again. She looked down and nodded. I pressed on.

"Was it about...you know. Him?" Rachel looked up at me desperately. Her eyes were full of tears.

"It..it was vague. Really unclear. He...he was fighting something. Something horrific." Rachel was shaking, tears running down her face, every inch of her face expressing her guilty feelings over keeping this to herself. I tried to remain calm, and hear her out, though I could feel every inch of my new found rage fighting to give Rachel a good sock to the stomach. How dare she not tell about this? My vision went red around the edges. Rachel shrank away, as if she could feel my pent-up anger. She rushed on.

"Th-the thing was, Annabeth, it wasn't a normal vision. Not from the Spirit." she choked out. At this point, I didn't care if the vision had come from a purple dwarf living on Jupiter. My mind was going a million miles an hour.

"I'm really sorry, Annabeth. The vision shook me. It wasn't normal. Like, some other force was trying to reach me. I got spooked." she said, crying. And somehow, seeing Rachel, who was supposed to be so sure of the future, break down like that, muffled my anger, and brought out that rational bit in my head again. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not gonna lie, Rachel. I'm pissed that you kept this to yourself. But we can't focus on that. The best we can do now is keep on trying. Beating ourselves on the head isn't going to make it better." Rachel looked at me, nodded, and wiped away her tears. She looked at me, and said "Well, I can say that I've been pretty selfish. I can't hardly begin to imagine what this is like for you." I nodded, the jagged open wound screaming in pain. _Stay strong..._

"Yeah." My turn to keep back tears. Rachel noticed. She sighed, and said "Believe me, Annabeth. Nobody will judge you if you show emotion. You're not a robot." I looked away, but it was too late. The tears spilled, splashing onto the necklace, my shirt collar. I sat, trying to get control of myself. Rachel sat down, and I put my head on her shoulder, and sobbed. After gods-knew-how-long, I stopped. Taking a shaky breath, I realized I felt a lot better. Gahh. As much as I _hated_ to admit it, Elizabeth was right. Gods. Remind me to change roommates next semester.

I stood up, and offered a hand up to Rachel. She took it, and stood. I looked at her, red-eyed and tear-streaked, and realized I looked the same way. I laughed. "C'mon. Lets get cleaned up before somebody sees us like this." She laughed. "My thought exactly."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Athena Cabin was quiet tonight. Nobody talked much, but everybody kept giving me sideways glances, like they wanted to see how I would handle everything. I kept my head high, and got ready for bed as usual. I tucked into bed, and closed my eyes_._

_The fog, again. I stood on the edge of the crumbling cliff, on my own this time. Nobody around to help. I couldn't afford to be weak. Couldn't bear to look for the person I trusted most, needed the most. I drew my knife._

_A shape floated towards me, tall and proud. My heart raised a little, though my head kept on thinking the worst. Despite myself, I called out. "Percy?"_

_The shape came closer. It wasn't Percy. My broken heart whimpered, but I kept my face an emotionless mask. The figure was tall, with dark hair, but the expression was proud, haughty. It was clearly a woman, and the one goddess I liked the least._

"_Lady Hera." I said resentfully. Why bother hiding it? We both hated each other._

_She narrowed her eyes. "Believe me, demigod, I dislike this as much as you do. If it weren't essential to my freedom, I would strike you down this very instant." I glared at her, waiting for her to get to the point. She tutted. "It may have not occurred to you, or your vastly knowledgeable brain, but dark forces are stirring. The disappearance of the son of Poseidon was only the beginning." I was so shocked, that I forgot to be pissed at her. She smirked._

"_There now. A little respect, was that so hard. Now, this is essential. The answer to your question." I wanted to bang my head in frustration. Why was she dragging this out?_

"_Lady Hera, what are you trying to say?"_

_She waved her hand, and I hurtled through a vortex._

_Screams. Lighting blasts filled the air. Dust and paper swirled all around. Shouting and banging. Blood. My breath seized up. A flash of gold, and more screaming. People tumbling into...was that the _Grand Canyon_? Names, lost on the wind. Three people, about my age. I looked desperately, trying to find clues that meant something._

_A whisper. "The boy with one shoe. He is the answer. Hurry, daughter of Athena..." _

I woke up, sweating and shivering at once. The sun streamed into the cabin. I shook my head. _Gotta make a plan_...I lept out of bed, grabbed a backpack, and started throwing stuff into it, not caring how much noise I made. The rest of the cabin stirred, and looked at me, shock written all over their faces. I didn't care. I had a lead. I needed to go, now.

"Malcolm, you're in charge." I said, dashing out of the cabin. He spluttered, but I didn't stick around. I raced towards the Big House, and slammed into Chiron, falling on the ground. _Again_? Really. This was getting to be too much of a habit. I stood up, and looked at Chiron urgently.

"I had a dream, Chiron. Hera. Percy. I think...a clue." I said, panting. Chiron put a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards the Big House. I sat on a chair in the rec room, and blurted the whole story to Chiron. He listened intently, not interrupting. When I was finished, he nodded.

"There are no coincidences. I received word from a satyr in Nevada early this morning. Two demigods have been found, and are in danger. They need to be brought to camp immediately." I spluttered.

"Chiron. The lead. I need to go to the Grand Canyon." He raised his hand, cutting me off.

"And so you shall, my dear. The demigods are headed towards the Grand Canyon as we speak. Butch is taking the flying chariot to pick them up. You may accompany him." I was stunned.

"Thank you, Chiron!" I hugged him, and ran out the door, towards the Iris Cabin, where Butch was harnessing two pegasi. I ran up to him, breathing hard.

"Whoa, Annabeth. What's up?" he said.

"I'm coming with you." I said. I told him about the vision, and he nodded.

"No time to waste. Let's go." I hopped into the chariot, and we took off.

**Well, I have one more chapter, (the epilogue), and then that's it. :( I've really enjoyed this story, and I hope you guys did, too. 3 3**

**P.P.S Wish me luck on my U.S History Regents!**


	12. The Way We Get By

**The final chapter! :,,,( Twelve chapters, doesn't seem like alot. Anyhow, thanks for your ideas for the sequel! It might take a while, cuz I refuse to post another Mary-Sue story, but it will be epic, I promise!**

**I find it kinda amazing that I was able to do this story in a month, while keeping up with my schoolwork. **

**Anyways, read,review, and enjoy my free virtual Oreos!**

_**Chapter 12**_

_**The Way We Get By**_

_**Percy**_

I woke up in a cold sweat, as if from a nightmare. My head hurt like somebody was whacking it with a four-iron golf club, and I was freezing cold. What on earth was I wearing? Shorts. Not nearly appropriate enough for...where was I? Everything looked pitch black, like all the lights had been shut off at once. I started panicking. I couldn't see! I was blind! I was...

A complete moron. Eyes closed. Duh. I opened them, and found myself staring at the dark, cloudless sky. Judging by the stars, it was wintertime.

Wait. How did I know that? I tried to remember, but it was like trying to find the light switch in the dark. And I wasn't stumbling on anything useful.

I tried harder to remember. I was...Percy. Percy...oww. That hurt. Like someone was splashing acid on my brain. I tried for something a little less painful, like standing up. I pushed myself up with a groan. My hand burned, like I'd been shocked painfully. I looked down at it, and saw a faint, asterisk shaped mark on it. I couldn't remember how I got it, but seeing it made me angry and sad all at once, like it held bad memories. I shoved my hands into my pockets to warm them, and scraped my hand on something. I closed my hand and brought up a pen. It was battered, and looked like it was nearly out of ink. Useless. What was I expecting, though. I didn't even know who I was!

I took a deep breath and looked at my surroundings. Tall, dark spires. Crumbling, dark colored bricks, ruined columns, brambles. Strangley, though there was at least three feet of snow around the ruins, the crumbling mansion seemed untouched by the weather. It loomed above me, cloaked in mystery and danger. Though I was pretty certain I'd never been here before, I couldn't help but feel a connection to the place. I fidgeted with my pen, and pulled the cap off. Without warning, I was holding a sword! A real sword! I yelped, and dropped it like it had burned me. It lay there in the snow, glowing faintly. I approched it carefully, and picked it up by its leather-wrapped handle. It was suprisingly lightweight, and felt natural in my hands, like it was an old friend. It looked impossibly old, and yet in excellent condition. I studied the blade. Was that bronze? Must be. The inscription said something weird, but I could decipher it. _Anaklusmos._ Riptide.

The mansion loomed in front of me, and though it was probably a bad idea, I began walking towards it. I used Riptide to cut through brambles, and stumbled over the threshold. Like some force was drawing me towards it, I walked towards the courtyard. Over in the center of things was a fountain, though it wasn't running. The moon shone brightly, as I walked over. The water was staglante, but I dipped my hands in, feeling a sense of power wash over me. I pushed the murk out of the way and looked down. A skinny teenager with too-long black hair and green eyes that reminded me of the color of the sea stared back at me. But what startled me the most was the strange necklace around my neck. It looked like a necklace someone had made in a sleepaway summer camp in scenic middle-of-nowhere. It was strung with four beads that lay warm against my neck. I took it off, and studied it under the moonlight. They were painted clay beads, with different designs on them. I saw a picture of a limb bough with something glitttery hanging on it, an intricate maze set against a bloodred backround, a simple green trident over a black backing, and the most complicated one: a picture of a skyscraper with tiny letters spiraling around it. The bead made that acid feeling come back, like something important was trying to push to the forefront of my mind, but couldn't. I fingered the oldest-looking one, the green trident. That tugged another memory. I felt...connected. Like that trident was _me_. Suddenly, the first memory, completly unbidden, and unfortunatly short, came to me. I saw a beautiful girl, with long blond hair, gray, intelligent eyes, and a beautiful smile. _Annabeth. _These beads brought forth the image, and I felt immense relief, along with despair. She was connected with me, in a big way. The memory shut off, then, and I fell to my knees, shaken. Then, I strung the necklace around my neck again, and turned away from the pool.

I walked back outside, trying to straighten out my muddled thoughts, and get my bearings. That's when I heard it, or rather, felt a cold tingle on my neck. I whirled, brandishing Riptide. Its light fell on a large shape, ancient, powerful, motherly, but also capable of cruelty. A silver wolf snarled at me. Instinctivly, I lunged at the wolf, and she twisted away faster than should have been possible. Shadows danced in my vision, as twenty or so more wolves lept at me. The she-wolf growled, though, and the wolves retreated. The she-wolf stepped foward. I wasn't at all surprised to hear her voice in my mind, thought she had a strange way of speaking. Her voice was harsh, like a cold, razor sharp sword slicing at me. I resisted the urge to flinch. I knew that if I showed weakness, the wolves would tear me apart. I kept my eyes locked on hers.

_"This should not be possible."_

Her snarls were indecephirable, but the voice was clear as a bell. I didn't answer, but held my ground. She began pacing.

_"A child of Greece. Why shouldn't I let my pack tear you apart. They swore that the two would never be one."_

"Look...umm, ma'am, I guess. I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know how I got here, or why I have a sword. I don't even know who I am!" I said. It was the truth, and she sensed it. I stumbled on.

"Look, all I know is that my name is Percy, I somehow have a _real sword_, wolves are talking to me, and I have to find Annabeth!" I blurted this all in a rush, gasping for breath. My head hurt so badly, I wanted to scream. The wolf dipped her head. I held my breath, waiting.

_"Very well, Greekling. Then, pray you survive your trial."_

"Wait! What trial? Wh-what?" I stammered, as more shadow dropped to the ground. These weren't wolves, though. Human shapes came flying at me. I saw flashes of purple, and screamed in rage. These people didn't mess around, apparently. I slashed out with my sword, and fought for my right to survive another hour.

**And that's it! **_**The Way We Get By **_**has officially ended, though I'm really depressed about it. I wanted to make it longer, but at the same time, I felt it would take away from the story if I continued it.** **I can't wait to read The Son of Neptune, to find out how close my story (and others) are to "real" events. (Though I doubt they had cool parties at Camp Half-Blood). **

**Till the next story,**

**Mary Rachel**

**:) 3**


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